Charts boss Martin Talbot said the move was "about future-proofing the charts".

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The BBC's Rebecca Jones talks to Martin Talbot of the Official Charts Company

"So far this year we've seen nine tracks which have been streamed more than one million times in a week. Last year there were only two tracks that had reached that kind of level," said Mr Talbot.

"So we're seeing a huge growth, up 50% in the first half of this year."

He told the BBC the Official Charts Company had been looking into the idea for "some time" but felt now was the right moment, suggesting it echoed how they had already "evolved" over the years in response to the popularity of vinyl, cassettes, CDs and downloads.

Daft Punk's Get Lucky was the most streamed track last year in the UK

Streaming services Spotify, Deezer, Napster, 02 Tracks, Music Unlimited, Rara and Xbox Music - most of which charge subscribers a monthly fee to listen to unlimited music - will now provide compilers with weekly data.

The first chart to include streams will air on BBC Radio 1 on Sunday 6 July, with 100 streams of a song counting as the equivalent of one single purchased.

"This is a far greater shift in emphasis than has ever happened before," music journalist Fraser McAlpine told the BBC.

"No one ever asked pop fans how many times they played the singles they took home.

"In a sense, it's a lot fairer, because the chart becomes a measurement of the genuine excitement around certain songs, and how that changes over time even after people have started to listen privately.

"It's the first time plays would count towards something larger in cultural terms, rather than just being the most-played track on a single service."

Broader range

However, it is unlikely to make much difference at the top of the chart.

Daft Punk's Get Lucky was the UK's most streamed track last year and the second biggest-selling single of the year.

"By and large the most streamed tracks are the same as the most sold tracks," said Talbot.

"The changes you see are towards the bottom end of the top 10 and further down the chart."

It is artists such as Alt-J who stand to benefit. The Mercury Prize-winners are 14th most-streamed act in the UK, but their highest-charting single to date is Breezeblocks, which only reached number 75 in 2012.

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'We've finally got to the point where streaming is mainstream", says Spotify

"It's nice for bands who maybe don't make much impact on the singles charts, like us," Gus Unger-Hamilton from Alt-J told Radio 4's Today programme.

"If people listen to a band's album a lot [on a streaming service] it will gradually contribute to each of those song's performance in the singles chart."

“Start Quote

It is a coming of age for streaming services, an indication that the industry accepts and understands streaming is here to stay”

End QuoteMartin TalbotOfficial Charts Company

He added: "If young people are going to think the charts are relevant to them and the music they listen to then this has got to be a step."

Mark Goodier, a former host of the Radio 1 chart show, said the countdown was still "incredibly important" for both bands and the music business.

"It's also really important for the fans, if they like One Direction or Pharrell Williams, to know where that is relative to everybody else.

"We like lists, it's very important that they're credible. [Streaming] is how the kids are choosing to consume their music, so this is a very positive move."

Analysis by Rebecca Jones, BBC arts correspondent

This change is significant, but not just because it breaks the 62-year link between buying a piece of music and its position in the charts.

It will give a more accurate representation of what people are listening to. But by incorporating only audio streams, and omitting the billions of video views on sites like YouTube, the picture will still not be complete.

The move does represent a coming of age for streaming services and a deeper acceptance of them by the music industry.

But there is little to suggest the change will actually have much impact on which song goes to the top of the charts.

In tests carried out by the Official Charts Company over the last 18 months, the inclusion of streaming services made a difference to the Number One single only once, and the top five songs remained largely the same.

Jameela Jamil hosts the Official Chart Show on Radio 1 - seen here with former number one Ed Sheeran

Other countries including Sweden, Germany and the US have already started including streaming in their sales charts, with America's Billboard chart announcing its changes in October 2012.

The Official Charts Company said the change would reflect a wider range of music listeners.

"We looked at the records that benefitted and it was a real broad range from the Arctic Monkeys to will.i.am, from Aviici to Imagine Dragons," said Mr Talbot.

YouTube video streams will not be included in the countdown, although the Official Charts Company has said it will regularly review the situation.

"A video stream is not the same as an audio stream - some people watch a video for different reasons from the reasons they'd listen to an audio track," said Mr Talbot.

'Coming of age'

Each track will have to be played for 30 seconds before it counts as one stream.

To avoid fans "gaming" the system, only 10 plays will be counted per user, per day.

A new Official Breakers Chart is also being launched to reflect the ten fastest growing new tracks according to sales and streams.

"This a significant moment in the history of the official singles chart, and as a result it's also a very significant moment in the music industry as well," said Mr Talbot.

"It is a coming of age for streaming services, an indication that the industry accepts and understands streaming is here to stay."

The first Official Singles Chart to include streams will air on BBC Radio 1 on Sunday 6 July, between 16:00-19:00 BST.

Comment number 127.

DJ205Comment number 127 is an Editors' Pick23rd June 2014 - 16:30

In years gone by if you wanted to listen to an obscure album by - for instance - Status Quo or Neil Diamond, then you'd have to go to a pretty specialist shop but now a quick search on iTunes, Spotify, etc can bring it up almost immediately. I can't pretend I'm interested in the charts these days, but I do think that they should reflect what is popular across the board and not just what is bought.

Comment number 126.

Taffyman23rd June 2014 - 16:24

Can't say that the charts are all that relevant nowadays, I couldn't tell you who the top three are this week. I listen to what I like, some may be years old. Gone are the days when the producers bought shed loads to climb the charts, or backhanders to DJ's to get some airtime for their band. Internet search does it all by whatever genre, artist, theme you want.

Comment number 125.

The 'importance' of being No.1 used to be to encourage more sales I guess?

The 'music industry' is about money.

Fortunately platforms such as Soundcloud allow anyone to post their own music and reach their own, global, micro audience. 5,000+ plays and 200+ downloads is a spit in the ocean to Spotify but that's a Hit to me. Not 'arf!

Comment number 124.

David23rd June 2014 - 16:10

I wonder how the marketeers will be able to get their singles to the top of the charts now ? If they are judged by how many times there stuff is actually listened to rather than rammed down peoples throats via i-Tunes. It would be good to see some rules, like does cancelling the stream before it reaches the end still count ? Does a user listening to the same tune more than once count for more ?

Comment number 123.

Khuli23rd June 2014 - 16:05

116.Pochettinos Army To name but a few. None will get regular radio airplay unless you tune into rock specific radio.--Not to mention:IQPendragonmarillionTransatlanticRiversideand a whole host of others. Internet radio is the place to find new music of the type you like - try searching by genre amongst the hundreds of stations in something like Live365.

Comment number 122.

CTM8723rd June 2014 - 15:58

Interesting.

Will this show once and for all that most new chart music is generally not liked by most people?

Perhaps it will herald a new era in the music business- with artists being chosen for their ability to create or front a truly great song rather than 'sing' some sex-club-party-drunk nursery rhyme while airbrushed to perfection or yet another depressing piano ballad about failed love.

Comment number 121.

Christal Palace23rd June 2014 - 15:57

Who remembers recodring the Top 40 on a Sunday afternoon then spending the rest of the evenng copying the good ones from one casette to the other, trying to cut out as much as possible of the inane DJ's waffling? There was an awful lot of rubbish in the charts back then, but not in comparison to today!

Comment number 120.

The cling on empire23rd June 2014 - 15:52

In my opinion, I don't think the charts will mean much to anyone until something like Top of the Pops returns.Although I am a great fan of music, I lost track of the charts when TOTP was cut from air and I yearn for its return.

Comment number 118.

Bart Littlebird23rd June 2014 - 15:31

Perhaps I'm getting old but the music charts are just complete drivel these days anyway. If it's not the insipid rubbish peddled by Simon Cowell and the X-Factor it's something that sounds to me like someone banging kitchen utensils together with a washing machine on spin cycle in the background. Give me some decent rock and blues any day!

Comment number 117.

cathasatailComment number 117 is an Editors' Pick23rd June 2014 - 15:30

Look I will get this out of the way, I am a Taylor Swift fan, that is all well and good by my opinion but the amount of times I listen to a certain one of her songs per week is moderately high, would that all be counted, even the number of times I replay the song? Surely the official charts should be based on the music which is SOLD not just listened to, who needs "the charts" anyway these days?

Comment number 115.

Rabbitkiller23rd June 2014 - 15:24

Really, BBC, is the makeup of a pop chart something of any importance? You have a news department, have a look at what's going on nationally and internationally and put up some real topics for debate. If ISIS gets its way there'll be no pop charts, or pop music. Get a sense of proportion, please.

Comment number 112.

Pochettinos Army23rd June 2014 - 15:17

@107.berserkerphil

As a DJ, I will pay for the music that I like. However, I REFUSE to pay for music that I hate, but have to play because it's popular. I will stream that music for free. The day that I pay to purchase Justin Bieber, ID or Little Mix is the day that I quit!

And as far as playing it.... ID is a great opportunity to have a fag, refill the pint and go to the loo...

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